Scars On Your Hands
by Meneme-chan
Summary: Hearing rumors of murders back home, Isabella goes back to Forks to solve the mysteries threatening her home. But she brings with her her friends from the Institute, and what affect will they have on the small mundane town? Sequel to Ink on Your Back.
1. Vini, Vidi, Vici

This is the sequel to Ink on Your Back. Check it out if you haven't read it yet, and welcome back to all the fans who've read it! This sequel will take place after City of Glass for the Mortal Instruments, and during Eclipse for Twilight.

I own nothing except the crazy situations I've shoved all the characters in. Twilight characters belong to Stephanie Meyers and Mortal Instruments characters belong to Cassandra Clare.

Lead the reading commence!

* * *

Sprawled on the cool stone floors of the Institute and staring up at the ceiling, I released a puff of air that dislodged the messy strands obstructing my view of the darkened ceiling. Jace tapped his foot idly, his leg tickling the back of my calf. I lazily nudged my other foot at him, but it did not discourage him.

"I'm bored," Jace announced.

"I couldn't tell," Izzy said dryly from her spot on the couch. Her lean frame was barely clothed in a small slip of a white dress that made me envy how cool she must have been in it.

"Why don't you invite Clary over?" I asked, nudging again at Jace's still-tapping foot.

"She's off with her mom," Jace said, and I could hear the scowl in his voice.

"Jealous?" I asked, a hint of teasing in my voice. Jace grunted; probably in no mood for joking. I let the comment drop and I asked him, "Well, what do you want to do?"

He was quiet for a moment, and his foot stopped tapping. I relaxed a little, but then it started up again, even faster. "Let's go hunt something," he said, his voice rising hopefully from his place on the floor.

"There's nothing to _hunt_," Izzy said sharply, cutting off his hopeful tones. "We've pretty much killed every demon in the entire state of New York."

"Not every," Jace said, sounding a little hurt.

"Yeah," I said with a wicked grin to Izzy. "I'm sure there's a few lurking around in the dregs of fashion stores, waiting to commit the worst fashion sins of clashing colors and patterns. That deserves an execution."

"Right you are," Magnus' cool voice interrupted us. He drifted in, with Alec pacing coolly behind him. "It's absolutely terrible how young people dress these days. The muffin tops give me nightmares."

"Why would muffins give you nightmares?" Alec asked, his bright blue eyes wide and curious.

"It's a fashion crime," I told Alec. "People wear too tight of jeans and their side fat spills over." Seeing his blank look, I added, "You know, like the tops of a muffin spilling over the sides?"

He blinked and rolled his eyes. "What a stupid way to describe anything."

"Yes," Jace said wryly. "How dare they use the name of muffins in vain. It's sheer blasphemy."

"Any news Alec?" I asked, ignoring Jace. Alec had just returned from a Clave meeting, and any news was good at a lull like this.

Alec flopped on the couch and Magnus gracefully joined him. "Actually, Isabella, there's some news that might interest you."

"No, we are not going to Australia to chase the Yowie Yahoo and find some hot Australian boys to drool over," Jace interrupted, and Izzy threw a pillow at him to shut him up. I nodded at Alec to get him to continue.

"Evidently there's been some interesting cases in the Seattle area," Alec said. I propped myself up on my elbows and looked at him, my interest flaring. "Evidently there's been some murders going on, and the mundanes have no idea what is going on."

I sat up a little higher. "Anyone I would know?" I asked, my voice deceptively steady.

Alec shook his head. "No Cullens on the list, and Charlie wasn't on the list either. However," he said, settling back into the couch, "it looks like they're other worldly attacks."

I raised my eyebrows. "Demons?" I asked. "Or Downworlders?"

Alec shrugged. "No one knows. They've yet to send a team out to investigate." He looked at me sidelong, his blue eyes sly. "The others did ask if you would be interested in going, seeing as it is close to your father's home."

I relaxed against my propped elbows. "I'd like to go and see if he's all right," I said after a few minutes.

From somewhere near my ankles, Jace's voice floated upwards. "I'd be willing to go with you."

"There's no way you could go without me," Izzy added.

I looked at Alec. "You'd need me to supervise," he said with a slight smile. "Especially since I am the only one of age."

"Come September," I told him darkly, "I'll never have to hear that line again."

Jace pulled himself upright with the sensuality of a thick coil of smoke. "Then it's settled," he said, dusting off his pants. "We're off to Washington."

"What about Clary?" I asked, raising my eyebrows and squinting up at his face above his shirtless torso.

He deflated for a moment. "She's been busy with her mom lately..."

"She could meet up with us," Alec suggested. "After she sorts it all out with her mom."

I shrugged. "You'd have to talk to her, Jace," I said, getting up and stretching. He nodded, and I looked towards Alec, who was getting up. "Going to tell the Clave I accept their mission?" I asked with a small smile.

He nodded with a grin, and Izzy slithered off the couch and hooked her arm through mine. "Come on, Bellsies. Help me pack for Washington."

. . .

Sitting on Izzy's bed, we slowly worked her way through her clothes. We were packing the last of her summer clothes, since August was fast drawing to a close and I was helping her sort through which fall clothes she wanted.

Tossing aside an unsatisfactory jacket, Izzy looked critically at a sweater. "So what's Washington like?" she asked, not looking at me.

"Green," I said instantly. "A bit like Idris, with the weather and how beautiful the landscape is."

She smiled a little, and asked, "What about the people?"

I shrugged. "Like most mundanes. Forks is small, and people like to talk. Everybody knows everyone, and they've been there for generations. Our arrival will certainly cause a ripple."

Izzy looked at me with a sly smile. "Are there a lot of cute mundane boys?"

"They're sheep," I told her brusquely. "You'll love them." She laughed a loud, delighted laugh.

There was a knock, and Clary entered the room. Her tiny frame wove easily through the piles of clothes and plopped next to me on the bed. "Alec says you're leaving tomorrow." Her eyes were rather bright, and a trickle of pity hit me. Despite the fact that she was dating the boy that I felt was my brother, I liked her. She had spirit and spunk and she kept Jace lovesick, which was quite a feat.

I thanked her for telling me, and I said softly, "When does your mom say you can join us?"

"When school starts," Clary said. "She's not too happy about me transferring schools there, but Alec really sold the high school in Forks. He made it sound like some prestigious college."

I snorted. "Yeah, prestigious amongst the hillbillies. It's a wonder to me that there's no men in checkered shirts outside the grocery store."

Clary smiled a little, and I flung an arm around her. "You'll be back to snuggling Jace on the couch before you know it, Clary," I told her. "I survived quite a while without that lump of a boy, believe it or not."

"You're not dating him," Izzy told me.

"We did for a week," I reminded her.

"How did that turn out?" Clary asked. Izzy's sudden outburst of laughter seemed to answer Clary rather well.

"It didn't," she finally said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

I shrugged, smiling a little. "What can I say? Jace hated a girl who could outdo him in hunting."

Clary looked at me, impressed, and I grinned back at her. "Don't be too surprised. My mother is a wicked good Shadowhunter."

"Even Jace backs down to her," Izzy added in an aside.

"He practically worships her," I said with a laugh. "How awkward is that? My best friend is always sucking up to my mom. Not because he thinks she's hot, but because he's so in awe of how she can decapitate a demon with a stick."

"Well, he should worship me for giving him a fashion sense," Izzy said abruptly, flinging a jacket to the side. "If it wasn't for me, he'd dress worse than Alec."

"There's Magnus," Clary added.

"Don't turn against me!" Izzy exclaimed, clutching a shirt to her chest. "After all those hours I've put in to your outfits! Such treachery!" Throwing her hands up, she stomped back into her closet to tear through some more clothes.

"She's worse than Magnus and Alice combined," I whispered to Clary.

"I heard that!"

. . .

Magnus had arranged for a portal for us. Charlie had figured out the housing by asking some of the wolves on the Res to house Jace and Alec. Izzy stayed with us in the spare room, for protection and paranoia reasoning. I arrived in my backyard, laden with bags. Jace appeared to my right, unruffled, and Izzy practically floated out of the portal. Alec came rocketing out and landed lightly on his feet like a gymnast.

Charlie was waiting on the porch for me, and when he saw me arrive, he ran over to greet me. He helped me with my bags, while Izzy forced Jace to carry hers inside. We settled our things, and Charlie called for Jacob to come pick up Jace and Alec.

As we waited, I introduced Charlie to the others. "Dad," I said, smiling a little, "these are my friends. This is Alec and his sister Isabelle, who goes by Izzy. That's Jace, who's their adoptive brother and pretty much the same to me," I told him, gesturing to each one in return. Alec gave Charlie a small smile and shook his hand. Izzy shot him a charming smile, and Jace solemnly shook his hand.

"Isabella is one of the closest friends I have," Jace told him.

"Next to me," Alec said, grinning a little.

"And me," Izzy said. "And he's _such_ good friends with Simon." Jace made a face at that, and I laughed.

"I can't wait for you all to meet the Cullen's," I said, my smile a little mischievous. It might be a little sadistic, but I couldn't help it. I was highly anticipating Edward meeting the chaos that was Jace.

The doorbell rang, and Charlie got up to get it. "Be nice to Jacob," I told them sternly. "He's a good friend of mine, and he's been nice enough to let you stay at his house." Alec nodded, but Jace's shark-like smile made me a bit nervous.

Jacob came in, and I had almost forgotten how tall he was. Jace's eyebrows raised as he stood, drinking in the sheer height of Jacob. Alec was covertly checking him out, and I shuddered a little. Magnus would not be happy with me for introducing his boyfriend to a tall, muscular boy who often ran around half-naked.

"Hey Bells!" he said, grinning broadly at me. "It's been a while!" He reached out an arm and ruffled my hair.

I batted his hand away and lightly punched him in the shoulder. "You should have come to the Institute to visit! New York's not_ that _far away."

"Just a short motorcycle ride away," he agreed, mock-seriously.

"You have a motorcycle?" Jace interrupted, looking avidly curious.

"Yup," Jacob said with an easy, disarming smile. "Built it myself, and I built up one for Bells."

Jace stared at my with open envy. "You lucky sonuva-"

I quickly slapped Jace upside the head, hard enough to make him flinch and scowl at me. "Get Alec to slap him upside the head if he mouths off," I told Jacob. "And if Alec isn't there, punch him in the shoulder. Hard."

"I'm not a dog," Jace complained, making a face at me. He hated it when I talked like he wasn't there. He always loved being the center of attention.

"I am," Jacob muttered to me, smiling a little.

Izzy coughed delicately, drawing the attention back to her. She smiled at Jacob, fluttering her long lashes and sidling up to him. Her hair rippled like silk when she tossed it back and gave him an even sweeter smile. Jacob's eyes got wide and he looked a little awe-struck; he had probably never seen such a beautiful girl before.

"Stop flirting," Jace told her impatiently. "Between you and Alec, he won't be able to see straight."

Alec flushed and Izzy aimed a punch at Jace's stomach. He dodged it and hopped lightly over the chair and stood behind it, grinning. Izzy went to go for him, but I caught her arm.

"Don't break the furniture," I told them with a stern glare.

I sent Alec and Izzy to load up Jacob's car with the luggage, while Jace stayed behind to talk with me. He agreed to run with Alec to my house or even to school each morning, stating that he'd have to stay fit somehow. They had arranged their enrollment, but I would have to help them with their homework. Jace promised he would stay out of trouble, but he added that he couldn't promise for Alec. Izzy was under my watch, of course, so any emotionally scarring things she did to the people of Forks was my fault. I laughed, and Jace gave me that charming smile of his that made my smile brighten even more. Izzy came back inside to tell us that Jacob was ready to go.

As we left the house and came within earshot of Jacob, Jace said loudly, "All right, I'll take pictures of Jacob whenever he leaves the shower, but I'm not taking them when he's asleep."

Jacob's mouth dropped open, and Alec slapped a hand against his forehead. Without a second thought, I tackled Jace off the porch and slammed him into the ground in my yard. He laughed, and I aimed a punch at his face, but he deflected it. Grabbing his arms, I twisted them behind his back and pushed his face into the ground.

"Take it back, you twit, or I'll make you eat dirt!" I shouted, pushing his head down so his nose was flattened into the grass. He shook his head, and I shoved his head down farther. "Take it back!"

He struggled for a moment, but it was no use. Finally he mumbled, "Uncle," and I released him. "Isabella doesn't want me to take pictures of you coming out of the shower, Jacob," he said, rubbing the dirt off his nose. His eyes tilted towards me, pale gold in the light and sly. "She wants the asleep pictures, though."

Yelling, I chased Jace around the yard. He was light as ever, his feet barely brushing the tips of the grass as he floated along. I nearly caught him once, but he used my shoulder as leverage and hopped over me. I twisted around, but Jacob had caught him by his shoulder.

"You've got a real death-wish," Jacob told him, shaking his head. "Now come on. My dad has dinner waiting for us."

"I love Washington," Jace said, beating Alec into the car, despite that Alec was standing next to the car.

"He doesn't seem too bad," Jacob whispered, looking sidelong at me.

"Wait a few days. You'll be singing a different tune soon enough," I told him. But a small smile made it's way onto my face. "Well, no, not really. He's a good guy. Brutally honest, but utterly charming."

"Great," Jace grimaced. "Leah's going to just _love_ him." We laughed, and Jacob headed off with Jace and Alec. Last I heard, Jace was requesting radio stations while Alec told him to shut up.

"Poor kid," Charlie commented from behind us.

"Poor Alec," I said, shuddering a little. "Imagine having to make _Jace_ behave all the time."

. . .

Sure enough, Jace and Alec showed up on my doorstep, their cheeks tinged pink but otherwise showing no signs of having run a few miles. Rather, Jace seemed to be spoiling for exercise. I gave Izzy a ride in my truck, but Charlie offered to give Jace and Alec a ride in his police car. Jace was so excited that I thought he'd burst (Later, Charlie told me that Alec had to restrain Jace from trying to turn on the police lights the entire way to school).

When I got out of my truck with Izzy and met up with the boys, we ran immediately into Alice. Her tiny frame was practically buzzing with excitement. "You're back!" she squealed, before tackling me into a hug. I hugged her back, smiling.

"I am," I said, "and I have missed you. How is everyone?"

"They're everyone still," Alice said with a shrug, before tilting her head to look at my friends. "Are you going to introduce me to your friends?"

Turning to them, I raised a hand to point to Isabelle. "This is Isabelle, who also goes by Izzy."

"Love your outfit," Alice cooed, looking appreciatively at Isabelle's impeccable outfit. It flaunted her curvy frame perfectly, and all ready boys were looking over at her.

"Thanks," Izzy said, flashing a radiant smile at Alice. "I love yours too. We should shop sometime."

"Oh God," Jace said. "The apocalypse is nigh. Next thing you know, leg-warmers will come back in fashion."

"This smart-mouth is Jace, who is unfortunately my best friend and my piano partner," I said, gesturing to him.

Jace took Alice's proffered hand and kissed the back of it, before murmuring smoothly, "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!" He looked up at her, his eyes the color of pure gold.

Startled, Alice laughed shyly, her laugh like shattering glass. "I'm spoken for," she said finally.

"O dear account!" Jace exclaimed, clasping a hand to his breast and turning away in mock-despair. Alec rolled his eyes, and I shoved Jace so that he staggered, unbalanced.

"This is Alec," I said firmly, ignoring Jace's protest about being slain. "Izzy's brother and the sweetest soul you'll ever meet." Alec beamed at me, before shaking Alice's hand and dimpling a sweet smile at her. "Shall we introduce them to the rest of your family?" I asked.

She nodded and lead the way. They were standing by Edward's car, looking unruffled by Alice's disappearance. Jasper shook my hand firmly and drawled that it was great to have me back. Edward stared for a moment, before he revealed a small, tentative smile and said it was nice to see me again.

I pulled away to introduce them to my friends. Alec gave them both handshakes and smiles, polite as always. Izzy flashed the boys charming smiles

Jace, however, greeted Jasper with a military salute. When he reached Edward, he tilted his head to one side, judging him, before he gave me one swift glance. Understanding, I hurried to say, "Jace, this is Edward. Edward, this is Jace, a very good friend of mine."

"Oh, don't be modest," Jace said, flinging an arm around my shoulder. "She absolutely adores me. Can't stand to be away from me. It's an awful case of puppy love." Alec snorted. "It's awful, you know," Jace said, leaning closer and lowering his voice. "You see, I'm married to the most awful woman. Arranged marriage, and it's completely loveless. She's having an affair with this chap over here," he said, jerking his head towards Alec. "And she doesn't bother hiding it. Heart-breaking, really," he said, shaking his head. "But I've found such a comfort in Isabella here. She's such a peach. But I'm an honest man, and I would never divorce my wife, even for such a gem as _bellezza_ here."

"Oh, shut up Jace," I told him, shrugging his arm off. "He's not married, but he does have a girlfriend back in New York. Who I will tell that you think she's cheating on you with Alec," I added, just to threaten him.

"Of course she's not cheating on me with Alec," he told me, his eyes wide and innocent. "I'm the one who's with Alec."

Alec slapped him upside the head for that.

"Such unrequited love!" Jace exclaimed, draping a hand across his eyes. Turning to Edward, he leaned against his shoulder and said in a stage whisper, "But you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" With an obvious glance towards me, Jace let out a long sigh and declared, "Ah, well, _c'est la vie_!"

Throwing an arm around my shoulder, Jace steered me towards the main building. "Come on, _Bellezza! _Let us gather my school schedule!"

It turned out that Magnus finagled for the others to have the same schedule as me. And it ended up that I had classes with Alice, Edward, and Jasper. I found Angela in the halls, and we hugged and exclaimed how great it was to see each other. I introduced her to the others: Alec was sweet to her, Izzy was nice by distant, and Jace oozed so much charm that I was worried about Ben for a moment.

By the time we reached first period, Jace had the entire female population of the school under his thumb. He'd smile with the girls and joke with them, listening to their woes with heartfelt sympathy. He told them about his amazing girlfriend back in New York and how he couldn't wait until she came to see him here, and I felt comfort in knowing that Jace actually meant everything he said about Clary.

Izzy was having a similar ball. She twirled ahead of the girls, charming their boyfriends with a giggle and a wave. The single boys were desperately asking after her, while Alec tried simultaneously to fend them off and rein Jace in. I helped too, reminding Izzy that she didn't want to attract any lowlifes or stalkers, and I would quietly hiss to Jace that Clary was only a Portal away.

Needless to say, Alec and I were exhausted by lunch. We ate, and Jace impatiently tapped his foot as the lunch break wore on. There was still fifteen minutes left, and Jace decided to challenge Edward to an arm wrestling contest. He settled down at the Cullen's lunch table, and from what I could see, he managed to coax Edward into it. When they set up, I went over to make sure Jace wouldn't overdo it.

They went at Jasper's signal, and Edward's eyes widened as he tried to push against the steel that was Jace's arm. They strained for a while, Edward fussing over how it would be best not to be obvious and Jace just enjoying himself. Minutes passed, and people began to gather. Jace flashed a wicked smile and whispered, "Afraid to show off, _joli garçon_?"

Edward narrowed his eyes at Jace, annoyed at being called a pretty boy. He pushed his arm harder, and Jace's arm inched backwards. His face showed no reaction, and I knew he had something up his sleeve. The boys started calling encouragements, and the girls were squealing for Jace. Mere inches from the table, Jace shifted his grip slightly on Edward's hand. His smile became so dark that it was nearly demonic. Without warning, the muscles in his arms tensed and he began to drive Edward's hand back up. The cords stood out on his arms, and he bared his teeth. With a small hiss, Jace slammed Edward's hand into the table.

"Vini, vidi, vici, no?" Jace said with a charming smile that was about as sweet as a poisonous blade. Edward did not reply, and Jace shrugged. "No hard feelings, Eddie. Just a friendly jest between friends."

The bell rang for fourth period. Draping an arm across my shoulders, Jace steered me out of the cafeteria. When we were out of earshot of the Cullens, I hissed into his ear: "What was that for?"

Jace gave me a dimpled smile that made me almost forget to be mad at him. Almost.

"I was proving my irresistible maleness, Bellita," Jace said, calling me by a favorite pet name of his for me.

"Irresistible, pah," I said derisively. Still, I hooked an arm around his shoulders and took him to my next class. "You're downright repulsive," I told him as we stopped short of entering the classroom.

"Yes," Jace agreed, tugging on my hair. "But I'm your repulsive jerk."

. . .

After school, I gave Jace and Alec (illegal) rides to my house in the back of my truck. We sat around at my kitchen table, and I agreed to help them on any homework they had. Alec was quick-witted and had paid a lot of attention in the classes he had back at the Institute. Izzy was sharp as a tack but uninterested in doing her work. Jace alternated between caring and being too bored to work. We would goad him into working, making sly comments that maybe he just wasn't cut out for the soft mundane work.

Jacob called to invite us to dinner with the pack, and I agreed after sternly telling Jace to behave _or else._ I did not want a repeat of the incident with the two vampires in the park.

"It was only once! Come on, Isabella, cut me some slack. I've apologized a thousand times!" Jace was still whining when we arrived.

"Apologies won't cut it Jace," I said waspishly, leading him up to the doorsteps of Emily's house. "We can't trust you to anything after that."

"That's not fair," Jace whined, jutting out his lower lip as he sulked. "It wasn't even _that_ bad."

"Not that bad?" I yelled, turning on him and backing him into the doorframe. "You bit a vampire! You nearly took his hand off!"

"He started it," Jace muttered.

"I don't care who started it! We had to force feed you holy water by the buckets! You were puking for _two _days, Jace, and guess who had to clean it up? Me!" I snapped at him, and began to continue through the house.

"But they never expect it when I do that!" Jace said, his tone heating up. "It was the best way to defend myself!"

"The best way to defend yourself against an irritated vampire that you offended is to apologize, not bite him," I said, rolling my eyes.

Jacob interrupted. "I hate to put a halt to this fascinating debate, but dinner is on the table and we're not supposed to bring our 'work' with us to the table," he said.

"See? Stop talking Isabella," Jace whispered, bumping me with his shoulder as he passed.

I elbowed him in the ribs. "He meant you, asshat."

"Shut up, both of you," Alec said, his voice low and menacing, "before I kick you both back to the Institute for my mother to deal with."

We both wisely chose to stay silent.

Dinner passed by peaceably enough. I helped Emily in the kitchen, and Jace was watching Paul and Jacob wrestle. We could see them out of the kitchen, and we laughed as they squabbled.

"Are you and Jace like Paul and Jacob?" Emily asked eventually. "Are you two always fighting?"

I was briefly taken aback. "No," I said, slowing my scrubbing of a bowl. "No, actually, we don't really fight. We just like to bicker."

"You like to bicker?" Emily repeated, raising her eyebrows at me.

I shrugged, a little sheepish. "Jace loves getting reactions out of me. I was never the type of girl to fawn over him, and that always infuriated him. So he decided to return the favor, and we've been at it ever since."

"I'd leave you alone if you'd just admit I'm devilishly handsome and irresistibly charming," Jace remarked from the doorway, and I forced myself not to jump.

"Never," I said lightly, reaching for a towel to dry the bowl with. But Jace snagged it and lightly took the bowl from me and began to dry the dishes. We settled into a steady pattern, and the dishes were cleaned within minutes.

Twining his fingers through my hair, Jace tugged on a few strands before running off to join Jace in a romp through the woods.

Emily watched us with a half-smile. "You two are like two sides of a coin," she said, her eyes soft.

I looked down, drying my hands on a towel and watched out of the corners of my eyes as the golden form of Jace raced into the woods, with Alec following. "Yeah," I said quietly, and swallowed away the uncertainty that the comment dragged with it.

* * *

Oh my! First chapter of the sequel done! Now what?

I warn you, my dears, that my updates might be a bit irregular. I have a busy schedule this year, and this chapter took me four times as long as I would have liked. But I want to update more than once a month, so I will do my best to update frequently! It might not be to any patterns, but I will do my best!

To all the old crowd that might be reading this, thanks for keeping an eye out! I'm looking forward to any and all reviews I might get, and I will respond, as always to them. Any pressing questions will be answered, and all comments are appreciated.

All my love, Meneme-chan


	2. Forks High: We know drama

Welcome to the second, belated chapter! I hope you enjoy, and please remember that I own nothing!

_(Please know that I have no beta, so any errors that occur are unintentional and I apologize for them )._

* * *

School the next day was chaotic. Jace and Alec arrived and volunteered for a lift in the back of my truck (when Charlie was gone all ready, of course). We arrived in the parking lot with time to spare, so we approached Alice, Jasper and Edward. Alice flashed a brilliant smile at all of us, running towards me. Fluttering next to me, she grasped my hand in her ice cold ones and dazzled me with a smile. "Bella, won't you bring your friends over to our house tonight, for supper?"

"That depends on what's for supper," Jace said wryly.

Edward scowled at him, and Alice ignored the meaning of his comment and said sweetly, "We're having pork roast with a side of potatoes and salad."

"I thought you were 'vegetarians,'" Jace said, half under his breath. I stepped on his toes and Jace flashed me a sugary smile in response.

"We'd love to come, Alice," I told her with a smile. Alec nodded in earnest, and Izzy even gave a nod. Jace was staring across the parking lot into the woods, watching them with a faraway look in his sun-like eyes.

Alice beamed broadly at the three of us, but flashed a serious look towards Jace. He did not pay her any attention; instead, he watched as a giggling Jessica walked arm in arm with Lauren towards the building. Izzy nudged him, but he only made a face at Izzy, just to irk her.

We steered him towards the rest of the Cullens, where we stood awkwardly with them. Edward smiled at me, and said quietly, "Always wonderful to see you, Bella." He paused, before continuing, "It may be to much to ask, but would you honor me by playing a duet with me tonight? I've only heard you play once, and I would love to perform a song with you. You're very talented."

Slightly flustered, I gave him an unsteady smile in return. "Well, sure," I said, laughing a little. "What did you have in mind?"

"Perhaps 'Für Elise'?" Edward suggested, his golden eyes bright and innocent.

I glanced at Jace. He was scowling now as he stared across the parking lot and his shoulders were tense, sharp lines.

"No, not that song," I said, my voice soft. "I'd prefer a different one."

"Of course," Edward said, glancing between me and Jace with some confusion. "Whatever song you would like."

"I'll bring one," I said with a half-shrug. "If that would be all right."

"Of course," Edward said, before he smiled a beatific smile at me. Even Izzy was startled by the sudden radiance of Edward's smile. Alec was blinking rapidly, looking stunned, and Jace remained tense.

The bell rang, a warning for class to start soon, and we all headed inside. We met up with Jessica and Lauren in first period. Jessica giggled at Jace and waved, but was met with a dark glance that made her falter. Lauren waved coyly to Alec, who looked over his shoulder, unsure if Lauren had waved at him. Lauren only giggled and cooed, "I was saying hi to you, silly."

Alec flushed horribly and choked out, "Oh, um, hi." Izzy and I exchanged looks, torn between sadistic humor and sheer disbelief. Jace was still staring out the window towards the woods.

Lauren giggled again, and this time, Jessica joined in their conversation. "Do you like Lauren's shirt, Alec?" she asked, smiling blandly. "I think it looks just darling on her."

Alec peered at the shirt, looking thoughtful. "Oh, H&M! Always a good look," he said, looking both delighted and surprised; probably at recognizing a mundane brand. Izzy swelled with pride, and I knew Magnus would be proud too.

"You like H&M too?" Lauren asked, smiling and batting her eyelashes.

Completely oblivious to her flirting, Alec nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes, my sister shops there all the time. Don't you, Izzy?" He asked, turning to her with a bright smile.

Smiling back, Izzy nodded. "You bet I do," she said, ruffling his hair. "But I do prefer Burberry."

"Magnus likes some of the jackets from Burberry," Alec said seriously. "He tried to give me one, once."

Lauren's smile turned confused for a moment. "Is Magnus your brother?" she asked, her gray fish-eyes going blank with uncertainty.

"No," Alec said, going red and fidgeting with his shirt sleeve.

"A friend?" Jessica asked, looking greedy for information.

"Mybifrnd," Alec mumbled. We all blinked, and even Jace's eyes glanced towards us, briefly lit up with confusion.

"I'm sorry, what?" Lauren asked, tugging at a strand of her hair.

Alec cleared his throat nervously and looked around. "My boyfriend," he said, quietly but clearly.

Lauren's hand dropped from her hair, and Jessica's mouth dropped open. Izzy hid her face behind her hair: no doubt she was trying to hide her broad smile. The corners of Jace's mouth briefly twitched upwards. Alec turned even more red, so much that I think Clary would be proud of it.

"You're gay?" Lauren whispered, her gray eyes huge in her head. Jessica looked between the two of them, utterly speechless.

Alec nodded, looking shy.

Izzy leaned forward, her eyes burning with rage. "But don't you dare go spreading shit about my brother. I'll personally make your lives hell if you do."

Jessica and Lauren both nodded vigorously, their eyes going wide and their mouths shrinking into thin little lines. Looking satisfied, Izzy leaned back in her chair.

History went by fairly quickly, and when Spanish rolled around, Jace surprised the teacher by replying to all her questions in fluent Spanish. She stared at him briefly, boggled by his knowledge. He shortly replied that his father had tutored him extensively in foreign languages. She looked impressed, while Jace looked out the window.

In English, Jace ignored the teacher completely. Alec surprised Mr. Banner by being able to quote parts of Shakespeare's _Hamlet_ (He told us later that he learned it from Hodge, because Alec first loved the soliloquy of Hamlet).

When lunch came, I was nearly out of my mind with confusion over Jace. The tension around him was palpable; so much that it was making other students edgy. His eyes were faraway, his face was sulky and his posture was downright hostile. While the others went ahead to lunch, I grabbed Jace's arm and pulled him aside.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my voice low. Jace didn't answer; he didn't even look at me. I gripped his shoulder harder and moved into his line of sight, forcing him to stare into my eyes. "Jace, you're upset. What's bothering you?"

He was quiet for a moment, before he spat out quietly, "Eddie wants to play a duet with you." The disgust and jealousy in his voice was like poison.

My grip softened slightly as I understood in a heartbeat. "Jace, I know piano is our thing," I told him quietly. He let out a derisive sound, as if he didn't believe me. "I'm serious," I said, a little insulted. Pulling him to the side and away from the stragglers, I prepared to tell him something I had never been able to tell anyone. "When I was first banished, I was completely separated from you and the others. I thought I'd never see any of you again." Pain rose in my throat, but I pushed it away. "Playing piano was the one thing that connected you and me. It was a reminder of you and the life I had had, one that I was certain I would never have again. It was too much for me to even look at a piano without thinking of you, and I couldn't even bring myself to play. It was only a reminder that I was alone. The entire time I was here, I didn't play piano. I didn't even touch one. I even told Edward I didn't play piano, and that I had no talent or desire to, just so I could avoid playing."

Jace stared at me, his golden eyes wide as he drank in my words. My hand rested on his forearm now, small and pale against the strength of his sun-browned arm. "When they found out I could play, they couldn't believe it. Not until I played, and even then it was a surprise to them. I suppose Edward was pretty hurt that I had lied to him about playing. It's his passion, you know," I told Jace, as an after-thought. "I want to play with him because it would make him happy. I may hate him for breaking my heart, but he made me happy when we were together. He lessened the pain of my banishment, whether he knew it or not. I owe him for that, at least."

Jace stared at me for a moment, his eyes searching mine, searching my heart for the truth in my words. "You didn't play, not even once?" he asked, some doubt worming it's way in his heart. I shook my head, and he saw the truth in my eyes. There was a soundless click in his eyes as he understood, and he nodded. He reached out to grip my hand, and I squeezed his back. We walked towards the cafeteria, the tension dripping out of his body with every step he took. As the last bit of the tension dribbled out, he said suddenly, "'Für Elise' is _our_ song." The ferociousness in his voice was startling, and the determination in his eyes was unwavering.

"I told him I wouldn't play that one," I said soothingly, and finally, the tension left his body completely with one last squeeze of his hand around mine.

Untangling our hands, he gently ruffled my hair and said with a wicked smile, "You should play 'chopsticks' with him."

"You're unbelievable, " I told him, rolling my eyes and pushing open the cafeteria doors.

"I know," Jace said with a smug smile.

. . .

Math class went by in a whirl of numbers that made me want to shake the spare equations out of my hair when we left. Chemistry ended with a bang (quite literally, because Jace threw some chemicals together that ended in a small explosion that knocked Jace and I out of our chairs).

After school, we headed to my house, where we worked on our homework. Alec and I were brainstorming for our English papers, while Izzy worked steadily at the math. Jace was forced to do Spanish, because we weren't letting him anywhere near our Chemistry homework. We swapped, except for Jace, and commenced to morph into a study group. When Emmett swung by at five, Jace was cursing at us fluently in Spanish. Charlie invited Emmett in, and when I saw him, I squealed and hopped up to hug him. He picked me up and swung me around, as if I weighed nothing more than a small child. I was giggling still when I introduced him to the others.

"Hola, gigante," Jace said, flashing a smile at him.

"Hola enano," Emmett replied, causing Jace to erupt into laughter. "Ready to go?" Emmett asked, grinning at me. I nodded, and he lead us outside after promising Charlie that we'd be back by eight.

When Jace saw Emmet's Jeep, he gaped at it and turned to Emmett with a mischievous smile. "Can I ride on the roof?" he asked immediately.

Emmett gave him a calculating look. "How tight can you hold on?" he asked.

"Like a clam," Jace said promptly.

"Emmett, you wouldn't!" I said, slightly horrified.

Emmett shrugged. "I don't see why not. Just yell if you fall off," he said.

Between Emmett's brawn and Jace's charm, Jace ended up riding on the roof of the Jeep. Alec and I kept looking worriedly at the roof and the road behind us, terrified for Jace. Izzy engaged Emmett in a conversation, interested in what kind of man wouldn't look twice at her. Emmett was curious about a girl who could behead a screaming demon with a whip.

We arrived at the Cullen's house shortly. Izzy and Emmett seemed to get along well, and when Jace got off the roof of the car, his face was glowing. "I love this guy!" he exclaimed, grinning wildly at Emmett. "He's fantastic!"

Emmett grinned back, as the rest of the Cullens exited the house. Having witnessed Jace's exit off the roof, Esme exclaimed, "Emmett McCarthy Cullen! Did you let this boy ride on the roof?"

Grinning sheepishly, Emmett pointed to Jace and said, "Well, he really wanted to..."

"If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you jump too?" she asked, looking furious.

"That depends on how the bridge was," Jace said, looking serious. Emmett nodded enthusiastically, but froze when Rosalie approached him with a stern look in her eyes.

"Emmett, we do not allow people to ride on the tops of cars, Shadowhunter, human or otherwise. They ride in the car, where passengers belong," she said, and he nodded like a rebuked puppy. Turning to me, she smiled at me and said, "It's wonderful to see you again, Bella." She stepped forward to embrace me, and I returned the hug.

Stepping back, I gestured to the Cullens that my friends hadn't met. "This is Rosalie, Emmett's wife. The wonderful woman here is Esme, and the man here is Carlisle, her husband. They're the head of this clan."

Alec greeted them seriously, while Izzy was charming and all smiles. Jace shook hands with everyone, and smoothly complimented Esme by murmuring, "C'est un honneur pour voir une telle beauté."

"Merci, Mon épouse est belle," Carlisle replied, earning a broad grin from Jace.

"You are French?" Jace asked, seeming to appreciate Carlisle's french.

"I lived there, yes," he replied.

"How many languages do you speak?" Emmett asked, looking surprised.

"French, Romanian, Spanish, Latin, Greek..." Jace said, ticking off the languages on his slender fingers.

"Fluent?" Carlisle asked, looking surprised.

Jace shrugged. "I haven't spoken some since I was ten, but I'd say I was."

Alice appeared, her white dress fluttering around her frame. "Dinner is ready!" she chimed, smiling broadly at all of us. "If you would follow me..."

"I would follow you anywhere," Jace said with a roguish grin. Alec kicked his shin, but Jace ignored him.

"He's such a flirt," Alec muttered under his breath.

"I thought I was a charming young man with surprising appeal, with a touch of worldliness about his angelic features?" Jace asked, looking deadly serious.

"The only touch you've got is a touch is that for driving me mad," I told him, pushing him towards the house. "Now shut up and behave."

Jace wisely mimed zipping his lips and he marched behind Alice.

"It's close enough," Alec sighed.

. . .

Dinner was fantastic. Esme had cooked up a wonderful meal. Izzy ate delicately, ignoring Jace's ribs about her cooking. Alec ate seriously, before complimenting Esme on some of the best cooking he had had in his life. I seconded that, and Jace exuberantly thirded it, before launching into a nearly poetic diatribe on how fabulous her cooking was. Izzy stuffed a bread roll in his mouth to shut him up, and he nearly choked on it (lucky he didn't, becauseno one was really willing to do the Heimlich manuever on him).

After dinner, I sat down with Edward to play. Winking at Jace, I began to play 'chopsticks,' and Jace laughed a little. After that, we played another duet Edward had found, and it was nice.

Jace politely asked if he could play, and Edward graciously agreed. Again, I started out with 'chopsticks,' but then I added in little notes and melodies. Jace countered them, sometimes repeating them backwards. From that, we began to weave a melody that twisted around itself, sometimes going backwards and upside-down beside itself. The music was alive within us, flowing easily from one to the other. A living piece was birthed, and our fingers molded and shaped it, giving it life and breath and form until it was free, bursting forth in an explosion of music and beauty. Our fingers slowed, lulling the melody into a slumber until we coaxed it back into nonbeing.

I removed my hands from the keys, but Jace kept his hands on the keyboard. His eyes soft and tender, he began to play gently, little lullabies weaving through a simple melody. It morphed into some of the complicated pieces he knew; twisted melodies and refrains that were the peak of piano music. He played with clarity and beauty, awakening the world to sound of pure, unsoiled music. Edward was watching, unknowingly holding his breath, as if not to detract from the sounds Jace was creating.

Slowing, Jace began to play softer and more gently, until the first notes of 'Für Elise' began to play. I settled back into the piano bench and began to play with him, tracing the melody through the air. The song itself was beautiful, usually played with Beethoven's own emotions poking through. But Jace and I played with our own feelings, our own memories pouring out. Days of our childhood, where we would sneak away and play for hours. Days of when we were older, when we began to pour passion and pain into our songs and make them our own creations. The song became a means of our hearts to escape, a means for our hearts for feel and understand. When the song was done, we left the piano bench to join the Cullens sitting, but the strains of the song was still reverberating in my heart.

* * *

Thank you all for waiting so long for this update! I apologize for it's lateness, my life has been very hectic lately. For all you Americans, have a happy Thanksgiving!

To respond to your reviews:

**TheAFanFicWriter:** Pairing wise, I will have one later on in the story, but it should start coming up in the next chapter.

**TwiCloiser89:** Yes, Jace will probably get jealous. He gets rather protective over his Izzy and Bellita.

**Sol Swan Cullen:** I confess I have too much fun with Jace as a character. He's just so mischievous! Jace is strong, though, so I was throwing my weight as an author to have him be a bit stronger than Edward. I might not be able to resist _some_ sort of match-up between Emmett and Jace... And so sorry it was so late! I might be able to update again this week, though.

**Moonlight Rendezvous: **I'm glad you're a fan, and I appreciate your support so much. Please keep reading, and bear with my crazy updates!

**smileyface209:** They have been together in the past, but their future is up to them.

**MPDinNYC126:** Hmm, I've never thought of Jake and Izzy... That would be a fun couple to write. I will mostly be following the storylines of Twilight, however. The newborns will probably be the climax of the novel, as it is in Eclipse. Tent scene may or may not occur, depending on whether or not I remember to write it in. I am not from Australia, but I do have friends who love Australian actors, so I tossed it in for them. I'm sure my friends would definitely appreciate a hot aussie man. ;)

**TeamCarlisleWhitlock: **Thanks for the love, dearie. Keep on reading!

**Nyx Nuit:** Thanks for the review and the enthusiasm!

**Rachel-wa:** I've been having so much fun writing Jace! He's such a fun character to do.

**GeeAnnaB: **Unfortunately, I have no idea what will happen between Isabella and Jace. Their character's personalities are rather dominant, and I'm pretty sure they'll pick their own choosing and tell me what they'd like. I can tell you that there will be a lot of references to their past love and whatever consequences arise from that.

**Squeegy: **Jace and Isabella were in love when they were younger. It wasn't a long relationship, but it was fairly deep. As one of those mad authors, I am often subject to my characters' whims. So Isabella and Jace will probably be deciding their relationships, interestingly enough.


	3. CSI:Seattle

I own nothing except the mash-ups I put these characters into.

* * *

Sitting on a rooftop, I stretched myself across the concrete and peered down at the asphalt below. It was a less pleasant part of Seattle, where drug-dealers and other shady creatures usually lurked. This was where the most recent murder had happened, so most of the usual crowd was gone. Today, I had only seen packs of fitness-moms roaming about, some searching for future husbands while others only stared ahead, thinking about the cakes they were going to eat after their exercise binge.

Next to me, Jace was watching the roads, looking for any possible people that could interrupt our investigations. Across the road, Alec and Izzy were doing the same things. Two buildings over, Alice was a small, contemplating dot. She had volunteered her psychic powers in order to help us figure out the murders. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I knew it was Alice. Picking it up, I didn't even bother to say hello.

"No one will come by for at least a half hour. You have that long to investigate, so hurry," she said, before the line went dead.

Slithering upright, I nodded to Jace, who waved twice to Izzy and Alec. The other two disappeared off the side of the roof, aiming for a tree to break their falls. Jace saluted me, then back-flipped off the roof. He spiraled downwards for four stories before landing lightly on his feet. I eased myself off the roof and slithered down the wall for a story, before my feet hit a window-ledge. Balancing my weight there, I launched myself into a backflip and flipped over twice before landing in a good crouched pose.

Standing upright, I dusted off my sleeves while Jace laughed a little. "Not everyone can jump off of five story buildings and brag about it, Jace," I told him sharply, before crossing the street to join Izzy and Alec.

We went to the small, secluded area where the last murder had taken place. Scrawling glamours on our arms, we stealthily set about searching. Alec grabbed a Sensor, and slowly went over the place. Not a single warning went off, so we ruled out any recent demon attacks. There were no tracks around the area that were demonic, at least, none that we could see. The police could have easily churned up any clues that we would see. Jace searched for any traces of blood or poisons, but nothing turned up. We had been to crime scenes that mundanes had tampered with before, but this was even cleaner. There was no outlines where the body had died, and no splashes of blood or signs of a struggle. The killer was clean and efficient.

After twenty-five minutes of gleaning the area for any clues, we admitted defeat. "Whoever it is, they clean up good," Jace said, staring moodily at a clump of dirt.

"Or whatever it is," Alec corrected. "We've ruled out any demonic presence, but there's still a chance of it being Downworlders."

"Why would Downworlders be interested in humans, Alec?" Izzy asked, tugging her hair back into place. "It doesn't make sense."

"That's what we're trying to find out," Jace said, with a bite of impatience in his voice.

Izzy made a face, but didn't comment. I looked up as Alice approached us, her cropped dark hair fluttering around her face like raven feathers. Her tiny frame was wrapped in a black shawl and a short dress with dark leggings, making her look even more birdlike than ever.

"How'd it go?" Alice asked, her voice light and clear.

Jace stuffed his hands in his pockets and scowled. "It didn't," I told her wearily, running a hand through my hair. "They didn't leave a trace."

Alice tilted her head to one side. "Well, obviously, otherwise the police would have more of a lead."

"We can't even tell if it's the work of mundanes or Downworlders," Alec said, frowning a little and tugging on a lock of his glossy hair. "We can usually pick up a scent or even a trace of Downworlder blood."

"So?" Alice said, picking at her slender silver necklace.

"It means that we're working with someone who knows what they're doing, and they don't want to be found out," Alec said. "Most likely a serial killer or someone with a plan."

Alice grinned at us, her teeth flashing bone-white against the gray Seattle sky. "That's why you have me."

. . .

I headed to Jacob's house with Jace and Alec. Izzy wanted to Jacob was in the garage, working on his car. I went ahead of the boys, and slipped into the garage like a cat. Jacob was under the Rabbit, whistling to himself as he worked under the car. I crept forward, silent and light as a breath of air. His tanned hand peeked out from under the car, fingers reaching for a small wrench. Drifting forward, I noiselessly picked up the wrench and held it up so it brushed against the top of his hands. His body went still, and I slipped the wrench under his hand. His fingers closed around it automatically, but he paused for a moment. Then his hand and the wrench disappeared under the car, leaving only his legs. I crouched down and waited, fetching tools that he would wordlessly search for.

This went on for about half an hour, until he finally pushed himself out from under the car. The smile on his face when he saw it was me lit up the whole room. "Hey Bells," he said, smiling at me as he wiped the grease off his hands. "I should have guessed it was you handing me those tools. Jace would have just thrown them at me."

I smiled slightly. "He does tend to do that."

"Good thing I have good aim," Jacob said with a wink. "I can always get him back." I smiled more freely at that, and Jacob leaned against the hood of the Rabbit. "What brings you here?" he asked, relaxing against the strength of his arms onto the hood.

I leaned against the wall. "I gave Jace and Alec a ride here. I'm not in a hurry to get home..." I said, letting my voice trail off.

Picking up immediately, Jacob grinned at me. "Want to go for a swim?" he asked, and I shrugged.

"I don't have a swimsuit," I told him.

He paused, and pondered this for a moment. "Well, you could wear one of my old shirts and shorts..."

I grinned at him. "Works for me," I said.

I changed in the house, just down the hall from where Jace and Alec were sharing a room. I could hear a low murmur of voices coming from their room. Emerging from the bathroom, I hovered in the doorframe, half a step from going to their room when I stopped myself. I was going to go swimming with Jacob, a friend that I had not seen enough of lately. I saw Jace and Alec all the time; sometimes more than I wanted to. Shaking my head, I turned the other way and went away from their room, leaving the sound of their voices behind.

Exiting the house, I waved cheerfully to Jacob and bounded lightly down the porch towards him. He grinned at me, and it slowed me down when I realized he was just in his swim shorts. His bare torso was muscular; bulkier than Jace's lean muscles, but more slender than Emmett.

"When did you get so ripped?" I blurted out, staring enviously at his abs. He had eight toned ripples of muscle, whereas I only had six.

"Since I became a wolf," Jacob said, grinning even more broadly. "Like what you see?" he asked, flexing his arms.

I lifted up the hem of the shirt I wore, revealing my six-pack. "Jealous, actually. You have more abs than me."

Jacob stared openly at my revealed, albeit scarred flesh, and suddenly I felt very self-conscious. Rolling the shirt back down, I looked around and coughed a little. "Shall we get going?" I prompted when Jacob was still staring in the direction of my midriff.

Shaking his head, Jacob cleared his throat and said, "Yeah, let's go." He lurched off towards the trees, meaning to walk to the beach. Shoving my sneakers onto my feet, I hitched Jacob's old swim shorts high on my hips and took off running. I passed Jacob easily, startling him out of his train of thought and provoking a surprised shout from his throat. There was the pause as my feet on the dirt were the only sound, and then the heavier sound of Jacob running reached my ears. Chancing a backwards glance, I saw that he was catching up. A laugh bubbled out of my throat, and I ran as fast as I could, laughing the whole while. Jacob's hard breathing was shot through with chuckles that jolted with every step he took. I dodged low hanging branches, weaved through trees, cleared bushes with a single bound and never lost a beat. Jacob tried to avoid the difficult underbrush, but he was used to running on four legs, not two, so I gained ground. By the time I cleared the forest and hit sand, Jacob was the size of my thumb in the distance.

Hunkering down, I hastily untied my shoes and slipped out of them. Grabbing them by the laces, I ran barefoot towards the water. I dropped my shoes by a log, before charging into the water. Saltwater splashed high around my legs, icy to the touch and cooling my bones. I tried to leap over a wave but caught it with my stomach, nearly unbalancing as I did. I laughed, surprised and breathless from the combination of cold and sprinting. There was more splashes and the swift intake of someone surprised with cold water, and then Jacob was tackling me into the water. Foam went everywhere, even up my nose, and I sneezed out a snowfall. Jacob was laughing, wiping his wet hair out of his eyes and sitting in the water next to me. I spat out a mouthful of salty water, then shoved him backwards into the spray. He was laughing when he came up, and he flopped back into the water for a moment or two. I swam towards the water, going until my toes barely brushed the rocks half-buried in the sand. Jacob waded toward me, and to his amusement, he wasn't even in up to his shoulders.

He laughed and went to dunk me under the water. I took a breath and let him submerge me. The water stung at my eyes, but the rest of it was cool and caressing around my body. I let the current rock me until my lungs screamed for air, and then I let out the air in an explosion of bubbles and I stuck my head out of the water and gasped for air. My hair hung in a wet sheet around me, clinging like Jacob's shirt did with my torso. I let out a foamy spray that made me think of the way whales would surface, and I laughed a little as an idea struck me.

Floating on my belly, I let out a strangled half-wail, half-moan that imitated a whale's call. Allowing some water to trickle into my mouth, I rolled over on my back and sprayed the water up in the air so it came down in a fine mist. Rolling over again, I slapped my arm back into the water, sending up a splash that showered Jacob. He was laughing, so I let out another whale-song and floated on my belly towards him. He was laughing harder now, and he splashed water back at me.

Standing up, I shook the water out of my hair and started towards the shore.

"Where are you going?" Jacob called after me, standing shoulder deep in the water and staring after me.

I turned slightly, peeking my head coyly over my shoulder and flashing him a coy smile. He looked taken aback, and I swam quickly to the shore. Leaping clear of a wave onto the damp sand, I jogged up the nearby hill towards the cliff. Jacob was watching below, moving slowly towards the shore, his eyes never leaving my form.

Standing atop the cliff, I waved hugely at him. His hand flickered in a brief wave, but his face was serious. I wiggled my toes in the loose grass beneath my bare feet, enjoying the way the grass stuck to my wet skin. I took in a deep breath, raising my arms and enjoying the feeling of the salty air on my bare skin. Rising on my toes, I bounced up and down. Scrunching down, I launched myself into the air.

There was the brief moment of fear as I leapt into the air. That moment where my body wanted to be back on solid ground, when my entire being was frozen. Then as I began to plummet, and my stomach shot up into my throat, and I let out a wild shriek. I flipped myself through the air, spiraling and screaming through the air. My blood was screaming through my veins, pumping adrenaline through my system. The air was salty as it ripped past my face, the beating of my heart was like the pulsations of an earthquake, and I hit the water with an explosion of foam and water.

Once under, I twisted and rolled until everything was melded together in my mind, and I was briefly confused. Bubbles trickled what seemed like downwards, and I followed them, knowing that it was most likely towards the surface. But the pressure was increasing, and I was finding myself disorientated. Bubbles burst around me, and an arm wrapped around my waist, burning hot against my flesh. I went limp, allowing the arm to pull me along. There was a rush of foam, and my head broke clear of the water.

Coughing, I turned my head to Jacob and I grinned at him. "Thanks," I said with a smile. "Up and down are rather close to each other underwater."

He nodded, his brown eyes wide. "That was close," he said, looking alarmed.

I shook my head, laughing. "Not that close. Death didn't even come to say hi this time." Jacob stared at me. "Too soon?" I asked, and he nodded. I shrugged, and we began to swim towards the shore.

By the time we reached the shore, Jace was standing there, cell phone in hand. "Alice is on the line, and she's flipping her little head," he said, holding it out towards me.

I stumbled to the sandy shore, and reached for the phone. My shirt was tangled up around my ribcage, showing off the scars around my waist. Jace's eyes went soft for a moment as he stared at the scars, memories flickering across the gold of his irises. There was no wonder in his eyes, no curiosity that always flowed in Jacob's eyes, only the bitterness of watching me come so close to death and only being able to help so much.

"Hello?" I asked into the phone.

"Oh my god, Bella, you're all right!" Alice's voice exploded in my ear. "I thought you died!"

"What?" I asked, sure I hadn't heard her correctly.

"I saw you jump off a cliff, and then I couldn't see you any more! What happened? Were you trying to kill yourself?" Her voice was getting higher and higher, and it was becoming harder to understand her.

"I wasn't trying to kill myself," I said, indignant and flushing. "I was jumping because it was fun."

"It's fun to jump off a cliff?" Alice asked, and the sarcasm crackled more than the phone line.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Alice, it's fun to jump off a cliff. It's called cliff diving. Jacob was there, and he kept me from drowning. I'm not stupid."

There was a faint pause as Alice seemed to think. I could see her in my mind's eye, biting nervously at her lip. "The werewolf?" she asked finally.

I nodded, then added, "Yes, the hot werewolf." Jace rolled his eyes, and I stuck my tongue out at him.

Another pause. "Maybe he's interfering with my visions," she said finally. "I've never been able to see his future. And I can't see Jace or Alec when they're at his house."

"Maybe," I said, winding my hands through my hair and wringing out some of the water. Alice was still quiet, so I sighed and said, "Look, Alice, I'm gonna go. I'm still hanging out with Jacob, and now Jace is here, so it's pretty much a party. I'll talk to you later."

"Party?" Alice said; she hadn't been paying attention.

"Yes, Alice, we're having a party," I said, my voice heavy with sarcasm. "I'm actually on my way to have an orgy with Jace, Jacob, and the wolf pack."

There was a distinct male shout of "She's what?" from the background, and then noise erupted into my ear before it solidified into Edward's irritable voice demanding, "You're doing what with Jace and Jacob?"

Jace, standing nearby, grinned, and I handed him the phone. "Hi Edward," Jace said, sounding chipper. "Isabella can't come to the phone right now. She's currently writhing around on the beach with Jacob. It's getting really steamy," he said, grinning broadly and winking at me. I let out an awkward moan, just for effect.

There was an explosion of noise from the phone, and Jace held it away from his ear, wincing. "Bye Edward!" he shouted at the cell phone, still held an arm's length away. "See you Monday!" Hanging up, he looked at me and erupted into laughter. I was doubled over, laughing so hard that it felt like my ribs would shatter.

Jacob approached us, kicking sand with his wet feet. "What's so funny?" he asked, his face clouded with suspicion.

"Alice called, thinking that Isabella had committed suicide off the cliff. She set her straight, and then said it was basically a party with me here, so she had to go," Jace explained, before falling prey to an explosion of snickering and chuckling.

"She only paid enough attention to hear party, so I told her it was an orgy. Edward overheard, and..." This time, it was me who fell prey to unstoppable laughter.

"I told him that she was having an orgy with you on the beach, and he fell for it," Jace said, before laughing harder.

Jacob smiled a little. "So he thinks you're having an orgy with me on the beach right now?"

I nodded, tears of laughter in my eyes. "The best part is, is that Alice can't see you in her visions, so they have no idea if we're joking or not."

* * *

I am so sorry that this took so long to update! I've been so busy, that I haven't been able to write at all! I'm on break now, so I'll be able to update more often. On top of school, I've had a 12 hour work week each week. :( Please forgive me, my darling readers!

Okay, so French translations for last chapter!

_"C'est un honneur pour voir une telle beauté." - _Roughly, "It's an honor to meet such a beauty."

_"Merci, Mon épouse est belle," -_ "Thank you, my wife is beautiful."

Reviews responses:

**TheAFanFicWriter: **I've never had a beta, but I'll eventually get around to finding one. :) And thank you for 'bothering' me, sometimes I get so busy that I forget the whole world!

**chelsealovesya1995: **Jace and Isabella were in love at one point, but it's up to them whether or not they will be once more.

**TeamCarlisleWhitlock:** I put the translations at the end of this chapter, so that should help a bit. I'll remember to put the translations whenever I use a foreign language.

**flowerspot: **Thank you. I'm glad you liked that bit. :)

**Sol Swan Cullen:** I always thought that Jace and Emmett would cause such chaos together. Emmett is a crazy driver, but I think Jace is equally insane. I made Alec brave in this chapter, because I think he would feel that maybe being in a new town, he could be more open about his sexuality. I'm glad you loved the piano part! I always love writing those parts! And Emmett vs. Jace, maybe in wrestling? Race wise, I'm not sure who would win... Jace would actually have to fight to keep up with Edward, but I don't know about Emmett. So sorry for keeping you waiting, but I promise to update more in these next three weeks!

**Rachel-wa:** Thank you!

**Lovesick31Melody:** I couldn't think of what else held on tightly, and I thought Jace wouldn't either. :) Translations will be at the end from now on.

**Moonlight Rendezvous:** I've always wanted to ride on the roof myself... Isabella and Jace love playing the piano together. It's their thing, haha. I will try to update quicker!

**Nyx Nuit:** Exactly! I'm glad someone got it!

**Elena:** They might, but it's really up to them. I like them as a couple too, though!

**Mrs . CarlisleCullen2007: **I'll tell you this, it's not Isabella and Edward. That ship has sailed, and Edward totally missed his chance. There is the possibility of an old spark, but there are new sparks and sometimes the sparks get all mixed up.

**XxKyuubiRoxX:** Isabella will be with someone, but it's still up in the air about who. Jake actually has not imprinted on Izzy, he's just surprised by her. She's very beautiful, and very forward, something he doesn't see very often. Isabella sees him as a friend... for now. Mwa ha ha. And don't count out Simon, he was a huge contender in the first draft I had of this story (Shadows At Midnight).

**Asian Shadowhuntress on Fire:** Jace likes to be a little kid now and then. So does Isabella, but she doesn't do it too often. And so sorry about the slow updates! I have a crazy schedule until about April.

**kawaiigrlmari: **I'm not sure when I'll address that, but I will get around to it!

Thank you for your patience! Read and review (don't kill me) please!

~Meneme-chan


	4. Inspector Lewis

I own nothing, except these mash-ups I force the characters into! Nor do I own any references I throw in there.

* * *

Sprawled on the floor of the front room of the Cullen's house, Jace, Izzy, Alec and I were talking with Edward and Alice on theories of the disappearances.

"It's not demons," I said, scratching out the word on a list that we had created. "That's for sure, because otherwise, we would have sensed it."

"It's not werewolves," Edward said from his seat on the couch, hunkering forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "They never leave their land."

"At least, not the ones you know. And they're not even real werewolves," Jace corrected him. "So that leaves real werewolves, fae, humans and vampires."

"It doesn't seem human to me," Alice said slowly. "I would have probably seen it, had it been a human. They're much easier to predict."

"What we need," Alec said thoughtfully, "Is Simon. He could smell out a Downworlder at any of the scenes."

Jace sat bolt upright. "Of course!" he exclaimed. "And Simon and Clary are arriving tomorrow! Simon could help!"

"And you and Clary would sneak off to find a corner or some alleyway," I said dryly. "Fabulous. Then we could use you two as bait, and when you're killed, we'll summon your ghosts with the help of a medium so you can describe the killer to us." Jace scowled and threw his pen at me, but I caught it and twirled it around my fingers. "I think that would go over well, wouldn't it? Telling the authorities that my friend's ghost told me everything."

"Don't blame my ghost for what the voices in your head tell you to do," Jace said irritably, and I grinned wickedly at him.

"You're right. In fact, they're telling me right now to punch you. Sure thing!" I said, and threw a punch that nailed him on the arm.

Sulking, Jace punched me back on the arm. "Stop it," Alec said wearily, rolling onto his back and rubbing at his eyes. "You two are so childish sometimes."

Edward glared at us. "Yes, you are," he said, scowling.

"He's just mad we didn't invite him to the orgy," Jace said in a stage whisper, and I giggled.

Edward glared at us, and we both rolled upright, laughing. "You two are so... infuriating at times," he said with a huff.

"We are," Jace said, tossing back his curls.

"But you love us for it," I said, flipping my hair over my shoulder and flashing a beatific smile at Edward. He looked a little stunned at my smile, and I smirked to Jace.

"You're terrible," Alec commented.

"Me? Or Jace?" I asked, surprised.

"Both of you," Alec said, his eyes closed and face composed. "You're both so cruel."

"Cruel but sexy," I said impishly.

Sitting up, Jace turned and looked to Emmett, who came crashing into the room. "I'm. Too sexy for my shirt. Too sexy for my shirt," they both half-sang, half-rapped. Jace sprang up, and they began to dance and chant the chorus, while I shook my head, and Alec stared blankly at them.

"You know, I think you are too sexy for your shirts," Alec said, a slow smile spreading on his face.

Jace and Emmett froze, staring at each other with horrified expressions. "Run?" Jace whispered.

"Last one to the woods is stuck with him," Emmett said. They shook hands, and Emmett said, "May the fastest man survive."

With that, Jace and Emmett went charging out of the house. They shot through the back door and took off across the yard. Everyone ran to the windows, where we saw them running desperately for the woods. Jace outstripped Emmett as he leapt over the small stream and sprinted headlong into the brush, leaving Emmett skidding to a halt at the banks and yelling for Jace to come back, that he wanted a rematch. It seemed that silence met Emmett's pleas, so he trudged back into the house.

He stood in the doorway, casting nervous glances at Alec, who was resettling back on the floor.

"So, um, Alec..." Emmett began, looking nervous.

"I'm not interested in you," Alec said, not even looking up. "Jace was just giving me a headache."

Emmett stared at Alec, dumbfounded, while Edward let out a loud laugh.

. . .

Jace was bouncing up and down, impatient as he stared across my backyard. "When are they coming?" he complained.

"They'll get here when they get here," I said sourly.

Edward was seated on the porch. His family had offered to host Simon, seeing that he was a vampire as well. "Calm down, Jace," he said, looking annoyed himself.

"I'm not calming down until they get here!" Jace exclaimed loudly.

"I didn't know you liked Simon that much," I said. "He'll be delighted to know that his feelings are not unrequited."

Jace scowled, but a flare of light cut off his retort. The light of the Portal seared through the air, making my eyes sting. There was a brighter flash, and Clary and Simon stepped out of the Portal and stumbled forward. The Portal sealed behind them, and they stood around, blinking. Jace leapt forward and swept Clary into a huge hug, making her yelp with surprise and then laugh.

I stepped forward and shook Simon's hand. "Nice to see you again," I said with a slight smile. "This is Edward. He and his family will be hosting you."

Edward stepped forward and shook Simon's hand, smiling slightly at him. "Hello Simon," he said, his eyes a pleasant gold.

"Hi," Simon said, and shot me a slight, nervous look.

Interpreting his look, I lowered my voice and said, "Edward and his family are 'vegetarian' vampires. They only drink animal blood."

Relief showed plainly on Simon's face, and Edward looked thrilled. "You only drink animal blood as well?" he asked, smiling broadly.

Simon nodded. "And I only do that sparingly. I can't stand to drink human blood."

Edward looked amazed. "How long can you go without blood?" he asked.

Simon shrugged. "A couple of weeks. I don't push it if I'm around a lot of people, though. You never know what things people carry," Simon said with a scowl.

"I'm perfectly clean!" Jace shouted, obviously having overheard Simon.

"Bull!" Simon yelled back. "Your blood completely altered me!"

"Jace gave Simon some blood when Simon was on the verge of death," I said in a whisper to Edward, leaning closer. "It had... unexpected side effects."

Edward eyed Simon curiously. "What kind of side effects?"

"Ones that earn me the title 'Daylighter,'" Simon said, turning back to us. "My kind of vampires will burn in sunlight."

Edward gaped at him. "So you're similar to Dracula?" he asked, his voice hushed and slightly awed.

Simon gave Edward a mischievous smile that showed his fangs. "I'm the Jewish Dracula."

I chuckled, and waved for Jace to bring Clary over. "Edward, this is Clary, Jace's girlfriend. She's Nephilim as well."

Clary shook Edward's hand, shivering a little at the coldness of his hand. He smiled apologetically, and Clary let out a nervous little laugh. "Sorry," she said, "you'd think I'd be used to it, with Simon being a vampire and all."

Edward shrugged off her apology. "It's not a problem. It's something that people should always remember, at any rate. For safety."

Jace snorted and looked at me wryly, asking, "Is he always so self-loathing?"

I nodded. "Every minute." Turning to Simon, I took his arm through mine. "Come on, Simon, let's go introduce you to the rest of the Cullen's."

. . .

Surprisingly, Simon got along famously with the rest of the Cullen clan. He listened to Alice's chatter, joked with Jasper and Emmett, and was perfectly respectful around Carlisle, Esme and Rosalie. Later, Rosalie whispered to me that Simon was so sweet that she didn't have the heart to be mean to him. Jace, overhearing us, promptly offered to do the honors for her.

The following weekend, we took Simon with us to scout around. Clary tagged along, due to Jace's insistence that she learn how to track and hunt. I shrugged this off, but privately warned him to treat her as a beginner, not like she was me. Jace looked insulted, until the glare I gave him forced him to back down.

Clary hung back most of the time, unsure of what to do and afraid to botch any clues. Jace tried to bring her out of her discomfort, but she politely refused. "I'm no good at crime scenes," she told me later. "I'd rather sketch a profile of the criminal."

Simon, however, took to it like a duck to water. His sensitive nose was leading him all over the place. One sniff at the site told him that it wasn't just humans involved. A few more minutes of searching ruled out the Fae. After about a half an hour, Simon stood up and dusted off his hands, announcing quietly, "It was a vampire, but it doesn't have my kind of scent."

"Was it like the Cullen's scent?" Jace asked quietly, and Simon nodded.

"It was much too sweet to be a traditional vampire, but it definitely had an undead scent to it. The cloying smell is faint, but I found it. It's definitely a hybrid," he said, looking around the crime scene. "Over here in the bushes, near the wall, is where the vampire waited for their victim. The scent is the strongest there. There were probably more, too, but it's hard to tell."

"Can you trace it?" Jace asked, staring hard at Simon.

Shrugging, Simon gave us an apologetic look. "I don't think I can. I can separate the scents, but that's as much as I can do. I could probably give you a general direction, but the scents are pretty weak after all this time." Wincing, Simon added, "I think I'll be sneezing dirt for weeks."

"You should've held your breath better when you were reborn," Jace quipped, and both Simon and Clary glared at him.

"I'll remember that," I said, grinning broadly at Jace.

Eyes sparking, Jace scoffed at my comment. "You'd never get turned."

I waved my wrist, saying coolly, "I was nearly turned once before. You never know what will happen."

"I do," Jace said pompously, and everyone snorted. Except Simon, who simply sneezed.

"How do vampires sneeze?" I asked. "They don't need to breathe."

"We still can breathe, though," Simon said, throwing me a sardonic look. "The dirt really tickles my nose."

"Like I said," Jace started, but I elbowed him in the side to shut him up. Simon sneezed again.

. . .

After Seattle, I decided to run down to La Push and spend a day with Jacob. It had been a while since I had last seen him, and I was really missing my friend. He had called the other night, telling me that he had the day off from patrols, and he was hoping I was free. I said my farewells to Jace, dropped Simon off at the Cullens (along with Jace, whom was told to stay put and be babysat) and grabbed my swimsuit from my house.

When I arrived at Jacob's house, he was in the garage, tinkering away on another car. I slipped inside quietly and snuck up behind him. Careful not to cast any shadows, I edged closer and closer behind him. When I was barely an inch from him, I blew across the back of his neck.

Jolting upright, Jacob rubbed at his neck and shivered. Turning, he shot me an exasperated glance. "Geez, Bells, you scared me!"

I grinned, unrepentant. "That was my goal."

Smiling back, Jacob pulled me into a hug. "How've you been, hunter girl? Take down any good demons lately?"

Hugging him back, I replied, my voice half muffled by his shirt: "I've been good. I've been playing detective recently, though."

Jacob's arms rested around me, his skin burning and warm against mine. "One of the many hats you wear, I guess."

I frowned, puzzled by his words. "I don't wear hats," I told him.

Laughing, Jacob squeezed me tightly before releasing me. "It's a figure of speech, Bells."

Making a face at him, I said lightly, "Well, maybe it's a stupid figure of speech."

Jacob laughed again, and leaned against his car. "Well, how about we leave the stupid figures of speech here and go down to the beach?"

I nodded enthusiastically, and he ducked out of his shop to let me change into my swimwear. Throwing my extra clothes in my truck, I pranced outside in my swimsuit. It was black one, with boy-shorts and a square top. "Ready?" I asked Jacob, who was unsuccessfully trying not to goggle at me in a swimsuit. He choked out a few squeaks before simply nodding. I laughed and began to jog.

We ran the whole way to the beach, where Jacob outran me and didn't glance backwards once. I found this a little strange, since he was normally the one to tease me about running slow. When he neared the ocean, he finally gave in and glanced over his shoulder and slowed. Then, he surprised me by running in slow, dramatic leaps, tossing his head heroically as he did so.

"What are you doing?" I called, laughing.

"The Baywatch Run!" Jacob exclaimed.

I slowed down to a walk. "A what?"

Skidding to a halt, Jacob turned and gaped at me. "You mean you've never seen Baywatch?" I shook my head. "Do you even know what it is?" Again, I shook my head. "You are deprived!" Jacob exclaimed, but I merely laughed and gently pushed him so he stumbled backwards into the water.

"You're so dramatic," I told him with a smile.

"I'm not dramatic," he said, making a face. "This is dramatic!" Throwing himself into the shallow water, Jacob began to thrash as if he were drowning. "I'm melting!" he yowled "I'm melting!"

I laughed, and pushed him farther so that he was flat on his back. He caught my wrist, and dragged me down until I was sprawled across his body, half in the water. I tried to get up, but he had a firm grip on my arm. I twisted over him, flopping my back against the water and wet sand, and dragged him so that he fell next to me in the water. A grin on his face, Jacob tried to wrestle me, but I continually managed to twist out of every hold he put on me. Finally, I pinned him and sat on his chest, panting and laughing. "I finally got you," I said, just to gloat.

He smiled up at me, his brown eyes warm and hazy. "Yeah, you got me," he said, reaching up to brush some sand out of my hair.

With one of his hands in my hair, his warm, hazy smile and bright eyes, something happened. I couldn't specify, but it was like something clicked inside both of us. His eyes were still soft and warm, half-creased against the Washington sun, still clinging to the dregs of summer. As I leaned down, the sunlight flashed into my eyes, and the ends of my hair brushed the sea water and got wet. The sand on my skin was rough, but beneath me Jacob was a steady warmth that warmed me to the core, and his kiss seemed to warm the marrow of my bones until my head began to swim. And the water around us cooled us, toying with us even after the kiss had ended. The warmth remained, in the ways that Jacob would catch my hand in his, or the way he would wrap his arms around me as we left the water and as we walked back to his house. We didn't run; there was no need for hurry, nor for speed. I was content with walking with him, and talking of anything that came to mind. When I got to his house, I changed back into my normal clothes, and he gave me a small, tender kiss as I clambered back into my truck, before I mumbled a promise to come back soon against his lips, and he agreed, and then I was driving away.

I drove home in a daze, and when I came home, Charlie gave me a curious look before he told me that Jace was in the backyard with the other Nephilim, and Simon was at the Cullen's still. I went to the backyard, where Jace was sitting with his arm around Clary, and Izzy took one look at my face, then at Jace and Clary and then to me before she exclaimed, "Oh god, another one." and I could only smile.

* * *

_I am so sorry that it took me this long to update! There's hardly any excuses for making you all wait so horrifically long, so I can only offer my humble apologies! I hope this chapter was enough for you all, and I hope you all enjoyed it. I've always wanted to write sappy love scenes, and I think I might've gotten it out of my system now. Just maybe. Now, to reply to the lovely reviewers!_

**2007: **I don't think I'll kill him off, but he'll definitely be fun to laugh at (or with, if people feel kindly towards him).

**Sol Swan Cullen: **Alice is usually pretty handy, unless she's stuck with Jacob. Then she's not so all-seeing. Yes, Bella a little crazy. I wonder who rubbed off on whom? I think a heart attack wouldn't kill him, it would just make him more cranky towards Bella and Jace's pranks.

**Olivia The Bookworm: **I'm glad you liked the ending!

**chelsealovesya1995:** I couldn't resist taking a shot at Eddie: he's just so much fun to toy with!

**Rachel-wa:** I think this chapter answers some questions people will have about Isabella and her mystery man. Or will it? ;)

**To** **Nyx Nui and cutie-pie150t:** I'm glad my humorous attempt with the orgy joke was successful. :)

**Shadowhuntress on Fire: **Luckily Edward isn't allowed in La Push... Otherwise there'd be some serious problems.

**singaluva: **I'm glad you like my stories! I'll try to update more often.

**Vampiregirl595:** I'm glad you like this story, so please, keep reading. :)

**momo: **I'll keep writing, don't you fret. I'll probably be slow at it, unfortunately.

**cottonwool:** Hopefully this update wasn't too late ^^;

**Antopedian Opaleye:** I'm glad you like it so much! And, as this chapter will attest, Isabella won't be with Edward.

**Ms Fantasy Freak Lolololololol: **I'm glad you liked it, and even more glad that it did turn out as funny as I hoped it would.

**Logical Fallacy:** Thanks for the bothers :) And I'm glad I can keep your focus! I try to keep it interesting enough for me as a writer to follow too. Because if I lose interest, how will anyone else keep theirs? Haha. P.s. darling, I love your username. It makes me so happy!

**Rockwolf:** As of now, it is Jacob/Isabella.

**DisneyRBD:** I'll try to update more frequently in the future.

_I'm going to try to update more frequently, my dears, but I'm terribly busy and forgetful (a horrendous combination), so please, bear with me and don't give up on my story. Thanks to all who reviewed, and please continue! I love hearing feedback from all of you!_

_~Meneme-chan_


	5. Laurent of Victoria

I own nothing, other than my apologies for being late!

* * *

Clambering over a fallen log, I swept the stray strands of my hair away from my forehead. My skin was warm with the effort of having been hiking all morning. I had taken a break from Jace and the others, claiming that I was scouting. Truthfully, I was wanting a break. Ever since Izzy had figured out that Jacob and I were "an item," as she called it, she had been teasing me non-stop. Jace would join in happily, teasing both Jacob and I ruthlessly. Even Clary would join in the joking every now and then. Alec was the only one who didn't always poke fun; instead, he would simply shake his head at our friends, as if that would stop their fun. Edward, mercifully, knew nothing. Or at least, he acted like he didn't. Even Jace, though, was sensible enough not to bring it up around the Cullens.

Jacob and I had been trying to spend more time together. But he had been busy with the pack, and I was always busy with school or tracking. Not that I was successful with the latter. Whoever was causing the disappearances was clever, and seemed to know that someone was trying to find them, someone above the mundane laws.

I cut off my musings to duck under a branch. I had been so stressed out for the last few weeks that it was a relief to volunteer to scout alone. Normally Alec would be with me, but he had kindly offered to help Jacob and the pack with some scouting missions around the town. Jace was with Clary, and Izzy was probably with Simon and the Cullens.

Stepping over some ferns, I pushed my way through some low-hanging branches and found myself walking into the meadow that Edward had shown me. I blinked, surprised that I found myself here. I knew that I was wandering aimlessly, but the area hadn't looked familiar. I frowned, and looked around more carefully. There, across the meadow, was the area that Edward and I used to relax in. I turned around, peering up at the trees behind me. It made sense, seeing as I had entered from the opposite side of the meadow. No wonder I hadn't recognized the field. Shrugging, I ambled slowly across the meadow.

Wildflowers poked up at my feet, hopeful for that last bit of sun before autumn snatched them away to winter. I squatted briefly, tracing my fingertip against a soft petal. It was bright red against my fingernails, clinging like drops of blood to my flesh. The skin on the back of my neck prickled, and I drew a blade from my boot while leaping upright in one, smooth motion.

Laurent backed away from me, hands held up in surprise. I narrowed my eyes at him, recognizing him at once. "Laurent," I said coolly. "It isn't wise to try to sneak up on a Nephilim."

He inclined his head slightly at me, his red eyes watching me carefully. "I was not aware that you were one of the Nephilim, Bella," he said smoothly, his voice dripping like liquor into my ears.

Tilting my head to one side, I leveled him another stare, one that should have gotten him to quit his attempts to flatter me. "I made sure that no one would know, the last time we met." Laurent made a motion to step backwards, but I drew a Seraph blade before he could take that step and held it parallel to my shoulder, naming it with a cold: "Ithuriel." The flames that leapt across the blade seemed to burn like the Arctic sun, forcing Laurent to squint his eyes against the sudden blaze.

As if nothing had happened, I continued. "However, this time, I refuse to hide my heritage from anyone. Like any experienced Shadowhunter, I have learned that any information found is good information. Now, Laurent, would you happen to know anything about the disappearances that have been happening lately?"

His eyes darted away from mine for the briefest of seconds, and he lied smoothly, "No, I'm afraid I don't."

I brought the Seraph blade closer to his skin, and the faintest shimmer appeared on his skin. "I'm afraid you're lying, Laurent." I pressed the dagger lightly against his throat. "What do you know about the disappearances?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Laurent said, his pupils dilating. "I'm always traveling, I'm a nomad, I know no-"

I cut him off by placing the Seraph blade millimeters from his throat. "I'll ask you one last time, Laurent," I said, my voice deadly calm. Stepping closer, I placed the edge of the Seraph blade against his throat and the dagger against the back of his neck, effectively trapping him. "What do you know about the disappearances?"

He was silent for a moment, drawing in unnecessary, sharp breaths as he tried to think. Finally, his shoulders slumped. "Victoria," he said quietly.

"What of her?" I asked, not moving the blades in the slightest.

"She's been creating a newborn army," he said, his eyes half-hooded as he stared down at the glow of the Seraph blade at his neck. "To kill you."

Shock flashed through me, but my hands stayed steady. "Why?" I asked, my voice dropping softly. "For all she knows, I'm just a simple human."

"James was her mate," Laurent whispered to me. "She despises Edward for killing her mate, so she wants to kill you. A mate for a mate."

My lip curled involuntarily. "How archaic," I said with disgust. "Well, more's the pity. I'm not Edward's mate."

Laurent raised his brows at me, then lowered them. "It would explain why his scent is no longer on you," he murmured.

"Where is she located?" I asked, changing the subject. I needed as much information as I could get.

"She changes it daily. She knows of your psychic, and she knows about Edward's abilities. She doesn't want to alert them to her activities."

"Clever," I breathed. Turning my attention back to Laurent, I said, business-like, "All right then, Laurent, come with me."

He didn't move. "Where would you take me?" Laurent asked, suspicion in his eyes.

"To the Cullens. They can take care of you for me. I can't have you running off to Victoria and alerting her. You tried their diet for a while, in Alaska, did you not? I'm sure you'll survive here," I said, lowering my blade slightly.

Laurent's eyes burned redder than the blood-like wildflowers. "I tried their diet, for a while. But I found that it cannot sustain me." He advanced slightly, and I held up my blade in warning. "I have not fed for days," he said, his voice dropping. "And you smell so... delectable." I hissed a warning and gripped my dagger tighter, but he brushed aside the dagger. "Fear not, Isabella. Your death will be swift. Victoria will be angry, but I will survive. You should be thankful. Victoria has a slow, painful death in store for you."

He leapt at my throat, but I slashed him across the joining of his neck and shoulders. He leapt back, hissing. "Don't be an idiot!" I snapped at him. "If you come peacefully, you can live!"

Laurent's red eyes burned bright, and he came at me again. I fended him off with a broad sweep of my blade, attempting to turn him away. He took the slash against his ribs, uncaring and feral. I tried one last time to talk sense to him. Waving the blade in front of his nose, I shouted, "Think, Laurent! You can live to fight and feed another day! Don't be a fool!"

He vanished in front of my eyes, and I tensed, my eyes searching in front of me. I allowed my body to relax.

A rustle behind me, and I stabbed the blade expertly behind me. There was the grating sound of Seraph blade against marble, and Laurent made a choked sound behind me. Turning my head slightly, I said quietly, "You had a choice, Laurent." Pulling the blade out sharply, I decapitated him with one swing. I stared down at his body for a moment, before I began the bloody process of hacking his body into pieces.

As I hacked at the stony body, I sensed the presence of others. I knew their scents and footsteps well, and only called over my shoulder for firewood. Jace calmly hacked down branches to pile near the body, and Alec coaxed a fire out of them with a Rune. When the fire was burning hot, we began to throw the pieces into the blaze. As we watched the body burn, I quietly told Jace and Alec what had transpired.

We were quiet for a moment, meditating on what had happened and what it meant. "How did you know to find me?" I asked, turning to Jace and Alec.

Jace grinned at me. "Come on, Bellita. If I haven't heard from you in an hour after you've been scouting, either because you're bored or you're lost, I know something's wrong." I grinned back, and turned back to the flames, feeling the heat trace my body.

* * *

_I am so sorry for the late updates! My life has been so hectic lately! Hopefully when my schedule clears up/summer comes, I'll be able to finish this story! I hope this update wasn't too horribly short, but it should start some crazy events going on in the story._

_Now, to reply to your comments/questions:_

**Sol Swan Cullen: **There's a reason for everything, m'dear. But no, Jacob didn't imprint on her. I'm not that cruel.

**chris62287:** No, Jacob didn't imprint on her.

**Nyx Nuit:** Izzy meant that there was another couple for her to deal with.

**Disney RBD: **Izzy means that there's another lovesick person to deal with. But it could be taken that way. :)

**shoshana79: **I won't forget Rosalie's protective nature, don't worry! As for Jace and Bella, as of right now, they're just friends.

_As always, all my love! ~Meneme-chan_


End file.
